Corn-planter.



Nu. 703,247. Patented June\24, |9o2..

L. P. GRAHAM. CORN PLANTEB.

(Application filed, Mar. 22, 1902.

(No Model.)

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Hill Inn ZUZbuaeea I f7zze2z zor. I W 52 1933 UNITED STATES L PATENTOFFICE.

LEVI P. GRAHAM, OF DECATUR, ILLINOIS.

CORN-PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 703,247, dated June 24,1902. Application filed March 22, 1902. Serial No. 99,520. (No model.)

To aZZ whont it may concern:

Be it known that LLEVI P. GRAHAM, of the city of Decatur, county ofMacon, and State of Illinois, have invented certainnew and usefulImprovements in Corn-Planters, of which the following is aspecification.

One object of this invention is .to improve and simplify mechanism forplungingcorn into the soil, and another object is to combine plungingmechanism with furrow-formers, so that the seed may be deposited by theplungers under ordinary conditions, and the furrow-formers may beusedwith the plunging mechanism when it is required to plant to anunusual or extreme depth.

The invention is exemplified in the structure hereinafter described, andit is defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, the figures are allVertical sections from front to back through a planter-shank and aseed-tn be therein.

Figure 1 represents the plunger mechanism in its normal position inreadiness .to deposit a hill of corn. Fig. 2 represents the plunger inthe act of forcing a hill of corn into contact with the soil. Fig. 3shows theseed-depositing action of the plunger completed. Fig. 4.represents the seed-tube swung backward at its lower end to permit theplunger to swing clear of the soil.

The invention is designed for use with the different elements that go tomake up a complete modern planter; but it relates entirely to means fordepositing the seed in the soil, and parts of the planter not activelyconnected with that operation are not shown.

The shank 1 is hollow to receive the seedtube 5, and it provides abearing for the rockshaft 2. A11 arm 3 is fastened onto the rockshaftand extended rearward therefrom, and a plunger 4 is pivotally connectedat its up per end with arm 3. The seed-tube 5 is pivoted in the shank at6, its front wall is cut away to admit the lower end of the plunger, andthe upper part 8 of its frontwall curves upward and forward above pivot6. The pivot 6 of the seed-tube is in the rear of shaft 2 in approximatehorizontal alinement there with, and the curvature of the upper end ofwall 8 coincides with the upper part of the segment of a circledescribed by the swinging end of arm 2 when the tube is in the p0-sition shown inFig. 1. A valve 9 is journaled at 10 in the seed-tube 5,and its lower end 12 normally closes against the lower end 7 of thefront wall of the seed-tube and forms a pocket for the corn. The upperend 11 of valve 9 closes against wall 8 of the-seed-tube when theplunger forces the lower end 12 away from wall 7, and an inwardextension or shelf 13 bears against the end of the plunger when theplunger is raised. A spring 14 tends to hold the lower end of the valveclosed against wall 7 of the seed-tube. The shank is provided with arunner 15 or other furrowformer.

In operation the shaft is rocked to carry the arm 3 back and forth fromthe positions shown in Figs. 1 and 3, respectively. The downward motionof the arm is necessarily rapid, and the return motion is preferablycomparatively slow. The required movements of the rockarm may bedeveloped in various ways. WVhile the arm is raised its swinging endbears against the curved extension of wall 8 of the seed-tube abovepivot 6 and holds the lower end of the tube swung forward,as shown inFig. 1. As the arm descends the seed-tube is held against backward swinguntil the swinging end of the arm passes a line drawn from shaft 2 topivot 6, as shown in Fig. 2. The end of the plunger does not strike theground until the end of the arm swings below the pivot of the tube, andas soon'as the plunger strikes the ground the tube is free to swingbackward. The natural tendency of the seed-tube is to swing backwardunder the pivot. The downward thrust of the plunger against the valveincreases the tendency of the tube to swing backward; but the arm 3elfectively prevents back swing of the tube so long as the end of thearm is above the pivot of the tube. The plunger must descend faster thangravity would carry the seed in order to hold the grains against the endof the plunger while carrying the seedfrom the seed-tube to the soil, asshown in Fig. 2; but

the planter will travel forward a slight distance while the plunger isforcing the seed into the soil and the tube swings backward tocompensate for the forward travel of the planter and occupies a positionapproximating that shown in Fig. 3, when the plunger i is at its lowestposition. As the planter travels onward after a hill of corn isdeposited the tube and plunger swing backward to the position shown inFig. 4 to avoid obstructing the travel of the planter. When the shaft 2is rocked forward, the plunger isdrawn up into the seed-tube, and assoon as the arm 3 strikes the curved extension of wall 8 of the tube thelower end of the tube is forced forward to the position shown in Fig. 1preparatory to a repetition of the operation. Then the arm 3 begins adownward movement, there is a hill of corn in the pocket below theplunger and another bill on shelf 13. The plunger forces the lower hillinto the soil, and the forcing of the valve from contact with -wall 7 ofthe tube also carries shelf 13 from contact with the plunger and permitsthe upper hill to fall below the shelf. So long as the shelf is out ofcontact with the plunger the upper end of the valve is held closedagainst wall 8 of the tube to arrest the passage of any grains that maybe supplied to the tube during the earlier part of the upward movementof the arm, and during the upward swing of the arm the shelf forces thehill off the plunger and into the pocket below and receives the hillthat is supplied to the tube as the arm rises. The vertical arrow inFig. 4 indicates the direction the corn takes in passing into the upperend of the tube, and the corn is supplied to the tube in an obviousmanner. Ordinarily the runner travels along on the surface of the soil,cutting its way through unusual obstructions, and the seed is depositedat an ordinarydepth by the plunger. \Vhenever the conditions demand thatthe seed be deposited to an unsual depth, the runners are forced intothe soil to an extent sufficient to attain the desired result, and theplungers are operated the same as if the runners were traveling alongthe surface of the soil.

I claim 1. In a planter, the combination of a rockarm extended rearwardfrom its pivot, a seedtube pivoted independent of the rock-arm on apivot located in the rear of the rock-arm, a plunger connected pivotallywith the rockarm and extended into the seed-tube and means for swingingthe seed-tube forward as the rock-arm is raised, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a planter, the combination of a rock arm extended rearward fromits pivot, a seedtube pivoted independent of the rock-arm on a pivotlocated in the rear of the rock-arm, a plunger connected pivotally withthe rockarm and extended into the seed-tube, and an extension of theupper end of the seed-tube adapted to move into the path of the swingingend of the arm when the lower end of the tube is swung rearward from itsnormal position, substantially as described.

3. In a planter, the combination of a rockarm extended rearward from itspivot, a seedtube pivoted independent of the rock-arm on a pivot locatedin the rear of the rock-arm, and a plunger connected pivotally with therock-arm and extended into the seed-tube; the front of the upper end ofthe seed-tube being curved above the pivot ofthe tube to conform, whenthe seed-tube is in its normal position, to the are described by-theupper motion of the swinging end of the arm, substantially as described.

4.. In a planter, the combination of a rockarm, a seed-tube, a plungerconnected pivotally with the rock-arm and extended into the seed-tube,and a valve pivoted between its ends in the seed-tube withone endnormally closing below the plunger, when the plunger is raised and theother end adapted to close the tube above the pivot of the valve whenthe plunger forces the lower end of the valve open, substantially asdescribed.

5. In a planter, the combination of a rockarm, a seed-tubepivoted-independent of the rock-arm on a pivot located in the rear ofthe rock-arm, a plunger pivotally connected with the rock-arm andextended into the seed tube, and a valve pivoted between its ends in theseed-tube in position for each end to close the tube when the other endis open, substantially as described.

6. In a planter, the combination of a rockarm, a seed-tube pivotedindependent of the rock-arm, a valve for the lower end of the seed-tube,a plunger pivotally connected with the rock-arm and extended into theseed-tube, and an extension of the seed-tube adapted to swing into thepath of motion of the swinging end of the rock-arm when the arm islowered and the tube is swung backward in act of planting; whereby theseed-tube is forced forward by the rise of the rock-arm, substantiallyas described.

'7. In a planter, the combination of a shank, adapted to travel alongthe surface of the soil and penetrate the same to varying depths, afurrow-former attached to the shank, and seed-plunging mechanism in theshank protrudable below the furrow-former; whereby the plungingmechanism may be used to plant at ordinary depths and the furrow-formermay be used with the plunging mechanism when unusual depth of plantingis desired.

In testimony whereof I sign my name in the presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

LEVI P. GRAHAM.

\Vitnesses RosA VoELoKER, W. J. DICKINSON.

